In one of the biggest ever cases of data theft, the personal data of a staggering 70 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity users have been stolen by hackers.

Sony also admitted that the hackers might have gained access to people's credit card details, reports The Telegraph.

PlayStation Network members have also endured a week without online gaming access after the Japanese giant pulled the plug on the service last Wednesday and has spent the past week investigating the breach.

Experts described the security breach as a "nightmare" scenario, which could leave millions of PlayStation users open to identity and credit card fraud.

The theft is particularly worrying due to the variety of information stolen and because many people use the same passwords for all their online services such as email, internet shopping and online bank accounts.

It also comes as an embarrassment to Sony and could deal a severe blow if customers lose confidence in its security systems.